Steam-boiler.



no. man. Patented ont. I4, |902'.

H. K. Hess.

STEAM BDILER.

(Appliction led June 14, 1902.)

(No Model.)

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n l n n as the boiler and flue metal, but is fusible UNTTED STATESPATENT OFFICE.

HENRY K. HESS, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

STEAM-coimas.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N o. 711,31 1, datedOctober 14, 1902.

Application filed June 14, 1902.

T0 all 1071/0727/ it may concern,.-

Beit known that I, HENRY K. HESS, ofPhiladelphia, in the county' ofPhiladelphia, in the State of Pennsylvania, have invented new and usefulImprovements in Steam Boilers, of which the following, taken inconnection with the accompanying drawings, is a full, clear, and exactdescription.

This invention relates to improvements in steam-boilers, and refers moreparticularly to upright-flue boilers adapted for steam-propelledvehicles. The usual method of mannfacturing this class of boilers is toexpand their iiues rigidly against the walls of the flueopenings in theopposite heads; but it is commonly known that this method is insecureand unreliable, and particularly so in the hands of inexperiencedoperators. These vehicles being largely used by persons unskilled inmechanics and the proper care of boilers, it frequently happens that thewater in the boilers is allowed to become exhausted to such an extentthat the heat of the burner causes an excessive and unequal expansion ofthe parts, and particularly of the tlues,which under such conditions areusually subjected to the greatest heat and expand endwise withsufficient force to break the seal at their junction with the head, andthus permits the leakage of steam and water. Another cause of theseleakages is that the boiler is necessarily subjected to a high degree ofpressure and to other severe strains incidental to the jolting andtorsional movements of the vehicle. In view of these difiiculties I havesought to provide some means whereby the parts of the boiler, andparticularly the flues, might expand and contract independently of theheads without liability of producing a leak.

My object, therefore, is to render the boiler self-repairing to acertain extent by utilizing the causes of the leak, such as excessiveheat, to again seal the broken or leaky joint by conlining a fusiblebonding metal or metal flux in juxtaposition to the joints of the flueswith the heads, which bonding metal under normal conditions issubstantially as tenacious under a much lower temperature than would berequired to melt the boiler or fine metal. In addition toV this Isupport the flues in such manner as to be capable of lengthwise ex-Serial No. 111,756. (No model.)

pansive movement independentlyof the head and withoutdrawingoutof thebondingmetal.

To this end the invention consists in the combination, construction, andarrangements of the parts of a boiler, as hereinafter fully described,and pointed out in the claims.

Referring to the drawings, Figures l and 2 are respectively top plan andside elevation, partly broken away, of an upright-fine boiler embodyingthe features of my invention. Fig. 8 is au enlarged vertical sectionalview taken on line 3 3 of Fig. l, the central portion being broken awayand showing particularly the opposite end heads and the means formounting the fines thereto. Figs. 4, 5, and 6 are perspective viewsshowing, respectively, the detached upper and lower heads and one of thetlues partly broken away. Figs. 7 and S are detailed sectional views ofone of the fines and slightly-modified means of securing the same inposition.

Similar reference characters indicate corresponding parts in all theviews.

The boiler-shell proper, containing the water and steam chambers, may beof any desired form, size, or material adapted to reof alinedflue-openings 7 and 8, which are arranged as closely together aspossible in each head by staggering without depreciating the strength ofthe metal.

Projecting upwardly from the upper face of the lower head 2 are a numberof tubular nipples or hollow projections 9, corresponding to and alinedwith the flue-openings 7 in such manner as to form continuations of saidopenings 7 and at the same time form telescoping connections with thefines presently described. These nipples 9 are preferably threaded andsecured inthe openings 7; but it is apparent that they may be otherwiseheld in alinement with said openings either by forming them integrallyfrom the ICO metal of the head 2, as seen in Fig. 7, or by securing themin place wholly by swaging or expanding, as seen in Fig. 8.

Projecting upwardly from the upper face of the upper head 3 andsurrounding the individual openings 8 are a series of nipples or hollowprojections 10, which are of sufficient height to confine a body ofbonding metal capable of properly sealing the joints between the iiuesand head 3. rllhese nipples 10 may be secured in position in any desiredmanner, either by threading the same in the apertures 8, as seen in Fig.3, or by the bonding metal, as seen in Fig. 8, or the nipples may bestamped from a plate 3 of suitable metal, as seen in Fig. 7.

The fines previously mentioned preferably consist of metal tubes 12 ofspecial construction and corresponding to the number of openings in eachhead of the boiler and are inserted through the nipples and openings inthe upper head with their lower ends telescoping with and surroundingthe nipples in the lower head and normally resting on the upper face ofsaid lower head.

The body or main portion of the fines extending through the steam andwater chambers are preferably of uniform diameter; but their upper endsexterior'to the upper head are each expanded outwardly and downwardly toform a depending annular ange 13, surrounding the corresponding nipple10. The lower ends of these flanges 13 normally lie in close proximityto t-he upper face of the head 3 in a plane beneath the upper ends ofthe nipples 10, said ange being slightly separated from the nipples andtelescoping therewith and serves to confine a body of' bonding metal atthe junction of the flues with the head, so that under excessive heatthe bonding metal will readily fuse and seal the joint in case it isbroken by the undue expansion of the parts. 1t will thus be seen thatthe upper ends of the flues form suitable caps or crowns for the upperends of the nipples 10 and together with the bonding metal form apositive seal against the leakage of steam and water at the junction ofthe flues and head 3.

The spaces between and surrounding the upwardly-projecting nipples ofboth the lower and upper heads 3 and 4 are filled to a suitable heightsufflcient to properly protect the joints with a bond or metal body 14of suitable material-such as lead, antimony, or zinc, or other metalflux-which is fusible at a less temperature than the boiler or iiuemetal, and is confined within the desired limits by retaining-walls orannular shoulders 15 and 16 rising, respectively, from the nppersurfaces of the lower and upper heads 2 and 3 and inclosing all of thenipples of each respective series.

Prior to introducing the metal bond or flux the adjacent metal partscoming'in contact therewith are usually tinned or galvanized, so thatthe bonding metal will more readily vthe cylindrical casing 1.

and positively adhere and close the joints. This bonding metal may beplaced upon the upper surfaces of the heads 2 and 3 within theirrespective confining-walls 15 and 16 either before or after theassembling of the parts and lled to the level of the tops of `thenipples either in a molten or congealed state,it being understood thatwhen the bonding metal is placed in position, before the iiues areinserted, suitable openings are left for the lower ends of the fines andiianges 13, so that therheads maybe readily bolted to In either caseafter the parts are assembled with the bonding metal in position on thehead the boiler is subjected to a sufficient degree of heat to againmelt the fusible metal, which causes the full expansion ofthe tlues andother parts, thereby opening up any loose joints and permitting the fluxto iiow therein and to seal saidjoints. As the temperature of the boilerreduces the bonding metal congeals and the fines and other partscontract, and this contracting of the parts serves to additionally packthe bonding metal at the joints and further adds to the eiciency of theseal against subsequent leakages. It is apparent that by this means ofassembling the parts of the boiler any excessive heat which would tendto open the joints would soften the bonding metal and cause the same toflow into and close said joints, and thus render the boilerself-repairing in this respect, and at the same time the flues are freeto expand and contract without any injurious effect.

I usually provide the upper end of the boiler with an abutting wall orcap 16' for the upper ends of the lues to prevent undue endwisedisplacement of the ilues and also to protect the bonding metal on theupper head, this cap being generally secured to the boilershell by thesame rivets or bolts which secure the parts 1 and 3 to each other, andis provided with a series of openings 17, which are alined with andserve as extensions of the flues.

The operation of my invention will now be readily understood uponreference to the foregoing description and the accompanying drawings,and it will be noted that other modifications than those shown may bemade without departing from the spirit thereof.

Having described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure byLetters Patj ent, is-

1. A steam-boiler comprising a shell having lower and upper heads, eachprovided with a series of flue-openings, upright hollow projectionsrising from the upper faces of the upper and lower heads and alined withtheir respective ope nings,i1ues telescoping with the projections, and abonding metal at the junction of the flues and projections with theheads for the purpose described.

2. A steam-boiler comprising a shell having lower and upper heads, eachprovided with a series of flue-openings, tubular nipples sur- IOO IIO

rounding the openings, flues incasing the nipples, and a bonding metalencircling the tubes and nipples at their junctions with the heads.

3. A steam-boiler comprising a shell having lower and upper headsprovided with iiueopenings, nipples rising from the heads in alinelnentwith their openings, and flues having their inner ends incasing thenipples on the lower wall and their opposite ends anged outwardly anddownwardly over the nipples of the upper wall.

4. In combination with the opposite heads of an upright-flue boiler,said heads having due-openings, ues inserted in the openings in theupper head and resting on the lower head in alinement with its openings,nipples projecting upwardlyfrom the lower head into the flues, the upperends of the flues projecting above the upper wall, and a bonding metalsurrounding the upper ends of the fines adjacent to the upper heads.

5. In an upright-flue boiler, the combinaltion of a head havingdue-openings, nipples rising from the head and alined with the openings,flues telescoping with the nipples, and

a bonding metal fusible at a lower temperature than the boiler metal andsurrounding the junction ofthe ues and nipples with the heads.

6. An upright-flue boiler comprising a shell having end heads providedwith flue-openings, nipples rising from the lower head and alined withits openings, flues telescoping with the nipples and extending throughand above the upper head, an annular retainingwall inclosing theprojecting ends of the lues, and a bonding metal inclosed within theretaining-wall and surrounding the junctions of the lues with the upperhead.

7. In an upright-Hue boiler, the combination of a head and flues, of abonding metal supported at the junction of the head and flues andfusible at a less temperatue than the head and dues for the purposedescribed.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand on this 7th day of June,1902.

HENRY K. HESS.

I/Vitnesses:

ROBERT MAYER, MILTON WOLF.

